US Judge Rejects ‘Immunity’ for Former IMF Chief

The former head of the International Monetary Fund will have appear in court in connection with allegations he tried to rape a hotel maid in New York.

A U.S. judge Tuesday rejected a motion by Dominique Strauss-Kahn to have the lawsuit thrown out on the grounds he has diplomatic immunity.

Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon ruled the French politician cannot claim immunity from the civil suit filed by New York hotel maid Nafisatou Diallo because he did not claim immunity following his arrest last May. The judge said Strauss-Kahn further undermined any claim to immunity by resigning shortly after the alleged incident became public.

Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter with Diallo.

The ruling was first reported by the New York Post.

Strauss-Kahn's attorney, Amit Mehta, had argued that an IMF chief enjoys the same diplomatic immunity as a French ambassador. Mehta argued that executives of the international agencies such as the IMF and the United Nations need immunity from prosecution so that these agencies can function properly.

Diallo's lawyers said the immunity claim relies on a U.N. agreement the U.S. did not sign.

In march, the former IMF chief was charged with pimping as part of organized crime in France. His French lawyers said Strauss-Kahn is being hounded for his libertine ways. The Socialist politician was once considered a top rival to President Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election.